Amarinder meets Sonia, second time in two weeks
Wednesday, 02/09/2015
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NEW DELHI: Amritsar MP and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the possible organisational changes in the state unit.
Though Amarinder remained evasive over the outcome of the meeting, Congress sources said the former Punjab CM’s views were sought on some probable names to replace state unit chief Partap Singh Bajwa.
Party general secretary Ambika Soni, former union minister Manish Tewari, Congress legislature party leader in Punjab Sunil Jakhar and senior leader Lal Singh are some of the names doing the rounds for the post.
“I have made known my views and it is up to them (Congress high command) to decide,” Amarinder said after the meeting.
Hindustan Times had reported on August 29 that the threat of the Aam Aadmi Party occupying its space in Punjab like it did in Delhi has forced the Congress to work out a compromise formula to end a bitter internal row that was threatening to derail the party’s bid to dethrone the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) combine in 2017 assembly elections.
The proposal envisaged that Amarinder be given the party’s “overall command” that includes the charge of campaign committee for the polls and a leader “acceptable” to all the warring groups be appointed as the new Congress chief in Punjab.
This is the second meeting between Amarinder and Sonia Gandhi in less than a fortnight to deliberate on the party’s plans in Punjab. He had last met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi together on August 20.
